Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Breaking News!: The 2015-16 NBS Season Schedule is Here

So here we are TV fans. It may be later than the other networks, but it was well worth the wait. the official announcement of the 2015-16 TV season schedule for the National Broadcasting System, aka NBS. There will be 18 shows returning from last season (plus another 4 returning at midseason) with 10 brand new shows making their respective debuts in the Fall. This new season is a comedy heavy schedule (16 comedies + 4 comedy/drama hybrids) and is highlighted by three new shows starring former Mad Men stars. Anyhoo, you can give your thoughts on the new schedule, in the comments section below. So, without further ado, we give you the NBS 2015-16 TV Season Schedule.

Sunday Night

7:00 - Superesque [NEW SHOW] - Taking a cue from the success of the superhero genre, but also owing a nod to the cult TV show, The Greatest American Hero, Superesque is an action-comedy hybrid about a hapless schmuck who so wants to be a superhero, even though he fails again and again and again. The show stars Rich Sommer of Mad Men fame, as super wealthy Hawthorne Payne, heir to the Payne Foundation. Hawthorne lives in Capital City, in a world where there are superheroes and villains, alien invasions and monsters galore. It is a modern world of action and adventure, where superheroes are like rock stars, and poor Hawthorne just wants to be part of that. Unfortunately, even though he has the ways and means to became a Batman-esque superhero (there are some quite obvious satiric nods to the Batman mythos throughout), Hawthorne is a bit of an idiot. The show also features Ken Wahl (Wiseguy) as the police chief, Nick Zano (Cougar Town, One Big Happy) as real superhero, Captain Awesome, Jessica Pare (Sommer's one time Mad Men costar) as Polly, Hawthorne's wouldbe girlfriend, and Eric Roberts as Hawthorne's stern father.

8:00 - My Favorite Martian [NEW SHOW] - Putting a feminist twist on the original 1960's sitcom, this show is about an alien who crash landed on Earth, and must take refuge in the apartment of a kind stranger. The show stars Michaela Watkins (Trophy Wife, The New Adventures of Old Christine) as the stranded alien, trying (and failing) to fit into Earth society in New York, and Cristin Milioti (the mother on How I Met Your Mother), as Regan, the good Samaritan who takes her in. The show will also feature Margo Martindale and Keegan-Michael Key.

8:30 - Holy Hannah - This show, which came in 56th place last season, is the lowest ranked show to be renewed by the network. A sitcom about a naive girl who grew up in a convent, and is now trying
her hand at being a singer. An old school style multiple camera sitcom,
Kate Micucci (Raising Hope, Big Bang Theory) stars as the titular Hannah. Her
inability to know how to deal with the outside world gets her into
silly predicament after silly predicament. The show will get a bit of a reboot in season two, as the setting is now (mainly) a coffeeshop in Portland, Oregon (as opposed to the California convent and LA apartment building of season one). Hannah's convent past will still be a part of her character, and Laurie Metcalfe returns as Sister Francina. The rest of the season one cast is gone though, to be replaced by Liam Hemsworth, Chris Colfer (Glee), Nasim Padrad (SNL), and Lisa Kudrow. Riki Lindhome (Micucci's partner in the singing duo, Garfunkel & Oates) will appear on the show in various cameo roles.

9:00 - Brian Williams Was There [NEW SHOW] - This single camera comedy revolves around Brian Williams playing himself. The show, and Williams himself, play at satirizing the scandals of the newsman's recent days. Part sketch comedy, part sitcom, part reality TV, this show mocks the system, and all the players in it. The show also features SNL alum, Casey Wilson, comic Nick Kroll, Kate Walsh, and former Seinfeld star, Michael Richards.

9:30 - The Dakota Show - This mid-season replacement is back for another go. 21 year old Dakota Fanning plays 21 year old Dakota Lane, in this single
camera situation comedy about a brilliant video game programmer, who is
the youngest person to ever run a Fortune 500 company. The show also
stars Zoe Lister-Jones as Dakota's snarky VP, Hamish Linklater as a
listless game tester, and Ami Dolenz as Dakota's trashy mother. Wiley Wiggens (Dazed and Confused) joins the cast in season two, as a rival video game creator.

10:00 - The Patton Oswalt Sketchy Sketch Comedy Show [NEW SHOW] - Patton Oswalt (who is on about a dozen shows this Fall) created this satiric sketch comedy show, and calls it the anti-SNL. The show will feature Oswalt, along with Whitney Cummings and former SNL writer/actor John Mulaney. The show will also feature several up-and-coming comics.

Monday Night

8:00 - Chloe at Seventeen - With an obvious name change from Chloe at Sixteen last season, this comedy/drama hybrid follows the life of seventeen year old
budding movie star Chloe Randall, as she lives her life in a harsh Hollywood atmosphere. The show
stars Chloe Grace Moretz, playing what is basically a semi-satiric
version of herself. The show also stars Justine Bateman as Chloe's
over-protective mother, Renee Olstead as her older sister and rival, Nichole Sullivan as Chloe's rock and roller aunt,
and Joel Murray as Chloe's inept agent. Season two will see the addition of a romantic interest, played by Asa Butterfield.

9:00 - The Adventures of Laura Jane [NEW SHOW] - This is a show about a time traveler. The year is 2065, and Laura Jane Wilcox (Sarah Wayne Callies of The Walking Dead fame) has created a time machine. The only problem is that the controls do not necessarily work all that well, and now Laura Jane is stuck in time. Each episode will see her traveling to a new place and a new time, trying to find her way home, or at least fix the controls. Along for the ride is her seventeen year old daughter (Laura Marano) and her android assistant (Kathryn Hahn).

10:00 - Life With Charlie - Charlie Manson is back for a second season. Filmed in conjunction with the California Corrections Department, this
show takes iconic and infamous killer Charlie Manson, and puts him in a
house with thirteen contestants. The premise is to show how living in
lock down inside a house with Charlie Manson can be the best of times
and the worst of times. Each week, a contestant is kicked to the curb by
a viewer phone-in vote, until week twelve, when the last two
contestants are pitted against Manson in a series of bizarre contests. This show was NBS' second highest ranked show of last season, being beaten out only by its own celebrity version, which will have its own return midseason.

Tuesday Night

8:00 - Song & Dance - Moving from last season's Friday night spot (where it was a hit) to become the new lead-in to NBS' Tuesday night line-up, this musical comedy is set in the footlights of an off Broadway
production company, and showcases both the good side and the bad side of
musical theatre. The show stars Molly Shannon as the head of the
company, and features Idina Menzel, Anthony Rapp, Jessie Martin (a Rent
reunion), former Glee cast member, Ashley Fink, and Dinah Manoff of
Grease fame, as an aging diva. Peter Scolari also stars as the company's
square money manager. Season two will see the addition of former Mad Men head honcho Robert Morse and Pitch Perfect star, Skylar Astin.

9:00 - Maggie [NEW SHOW] - This single camera comedy is the story of Maggie Richards (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal), a sports agent based in L.A.. More knowledgeable about sports than many of her male counterparts, Maggie often comes to blows with these usually chauvinistic colleagues. The show also features Josh Duhamel, as Maggie's fiercest rival (and ex-husband), as well as Conchata Ferrell and Nate Torrence.

9:30 - The Middle Age is All the Rage - Winner of the Golden Globe for Best Comedy Series and Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, this situation comedy is set sometime during the Middle Ages, in a land
full of kings and queens, knights and sorcerers, monsters and dragons.
Think Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings, but with a
comedic bent. The show stars Oliver Platt as King Harold the Eleventh,
Portia de Rossi as Queen Hesther, Johnny Knoxville as not-so-brave Sir
Trumbly, Stephen Baldwin as the royal wizard Sojourn, pop star Ariana
Grande as the spoiled teenage Princess Juniper, Logan Lerman as her poor
farm boy lover, Flan, Sinbad as rival King Blotto the First, and
Jeffrey Tambor as the mysterious hermit known only as Flummox the Odd. Season two of this highly critically acclaimed show, will see the addition of Ethan Suplee as a wandering minstrel, and will feature cameos from the likes of Tina Fey, Jon Stewart, and Melissa McCartney.

10:00 - Homestead Days - The winner of the 26th Annual GLAAD Award for Outstanding Drama Series returns for a second season on NBS. This dramedy is about three gay married couples in a small Maine town, and how their neighbours
and co-workers deal with them. There are both good and bad reactions,
and the show revolves around how these reactions affect each couple. The
show stars Taylor Kitsch, Johnny Weston, Penn Badgley, Trevor Donovan,
Clea DuVall, and Sofia Black D'Elia. Judith Light, after a guest starring spot last season, will join the cast as a regular in season two. Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) will also join the cast in the new season.

Wednesday Night

8:00 - Scavenger Hunt - This successful reality game show (#12 for the 2014-15 season) is back for season two. The show revolves around contestants going on
scavenger hunts. Simple as that. Though the show isn't really all that
simple, since many of the items on the scavenger hunt may have to be
procured through means that are both death defying and illegal. The show
is hosted by the great Michael Rooker.

9:00 - What's Cookin' Kiddo? [NEW SHOW] - This single camera situation comedy stars 15 year old Kiernan Shipka (Sally Draper on Mad Men) as Kaitlyn McReynolds, the spoiled teenage host of a popular cooking show. Playing the diva, Shipka shows her great talent in the role, proving she can do comedy as well as she does drama. The comedy also stars Jane Adams as Kaitlyn's producer, Rory Culkin as a rival host at the cooking network, Edie Falco as the network's CEO, Bailee Madison (Bridge to Terabithia) and Willow Shields (The Hunger Games) as Kaitlyn's BFF's and teen entourage, and David Hyde Pierce as Kaitlyn's just-as-diva-esque father and manager. The show was created by Arrested Development and The Middle Age is All the Rage creator Mitchell Hurwitz.

9:30 - Beauty & the Blogger [NEW SHOW] - This single camera situation comedy stars Karen Gillan as a struggling single mother, trying to put herself through college, while working three jobs, and Nicolas Wright, as her Bohemian blogger next door neighbour. The show plays out as a quirky, deftly written rom com. The show also features Jane Levy (Suburgatory) and former New Kid on the Block, Joey McIntyre.

10:00 - The Street - This gritty cop show which debuted in midseason, is back for a second season. The show is set in Detroit, and revolves around the vice squad of the Detroit Police Department. Critics have called this the best cop show since The Wire. The show stars Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad), Michael Mando (Orphan Black), Irone Singleton (The Walking Dead), Peyton List (The Tomorrow People), Zak Orth (Revolution), and Maggie Q.

Thursday Night

8:00 - Daniel Boom! - NBS's successful Thursday night line-up stays completely in tact in the new season, starting out with the longest running series on the young NBS, as Daniel Boom! is back for a fourth season. The setting is the 1870's Arizona Territory town of Boggle Bluff, and
Daniel Boom is an honest lawman in a very corrupt town. Played by
Jason Bateman, Boom is a frustrated lawman surrounded by idiots
and imbeciles. The show also features Bateman's Arrested Development co-star,
David Cross, as the town's shady saloon keeper, Jack McBrayer as Boom's
not-so macho deputy, Stockard Channing as Daniel's meddlesome mother, Patrick Warburton as Boom's rancher nemesis, Ryan Lee (Super 8, Trophy Wife) as Daniel's son, and Roseanne and Scrubs alum Sarah Chalke as the town madame, and Daniel's love interest.

8:30 - Margo & Me - This situation comedy stars Judy Greer as brilliant-but-flighty best selling novelist Margo McNeil, and Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development)
as her put-upon personal assistant, Suzie Tanner, the titular Me. The
show revolves around Suzie trying to keep Margo on track for her new
novel, as well as her personal appearances, all the while attempting to
keep the star writer from doing the stupid things she is prone to do.
The show also stars Jason Alexander as Margo's demanding, self-centered
publisher. This second season will also feature former Mad Men star Jay R. Ferguson, as Margo's conniving ex.

9:00 - The Reality of It All - Sort of a 30 Rock-ish take on the reality show, the show revolves around a Big Brother/Real World like
reality show, and those running the show. Jim J. Bullock stars as the befuddled
exec producer of the show. The Reality of It All, also stars
Patton Oswalt (the busiest guy in show biz) as the head writer, Katie
Holmes as the show's director, and Emily Rutherford ("New" Christine
from The New Adventures of Old Christine) as the show's diva-esque reality TV star. Season two will also feature Mindy Kaling as Oswalt's new writing partner.

9:30 - The Dead Life - Ever wonder why there has never been a zombie situation comedy on
American television? Me too! This single camera sit-com takes place
after the coming Zombie Apocalypse, and follows some Walking Dead-like survivors as they wander through a broken civilization, trying to evade those undead flesh-eaters. Unlike The Walking Dead though, The Dead Life is all comedy, baby. The show stars Oliver Hudson, Cobie Smulders, Jodie Sweetin (Stephanie Tanner from Full House), Dave Franco (James' little brother), Chris Hardwick (the
nerds in the audience know), Snoop Dogg (that's right), Friends alum David Schwimmer, and nut job royale, Gary Busey. Both Harry Shearer and Leah Remini join the cast in this second season, and Donald Glover, who guest starred in two episodes last season, will return as a regular cast member..

10:00 - Shooting Star - This is the dramatic story of a young singer, played by The Walking Dead's
Emily Kinney, and her harrowing rise to stardom. Kinney plays Miranda
Bright, an up-and-comer with a beautiful voice, but a woman who lacks
the ability to make good life decisions. It's a rough rough road to
stardom, but Miranda is determined to get there any way she can - even
if it destroys her, and all those around her. After the hopeful season one finale, season two will see Miranda teetering on the edge of stardom, but we all know, it won't be that easy. The show also stars Ben Feldman (Mad Men) and Yael Stone (Orange is the New Black).

Friday Night

8:00 - Livin' the High Life [NEW SHOW] -Mad Men star Elizabeth Moss, stars as Janice Reed. Janice was once married to a Manhattan billionaire, but now, at thirty, finds herself divorced, ousted from her high society lifestyle, and forced to move back home to Miami, Florida, and take a job as a cocktail waitress in a local nightclub. Not only does Janice have to face life on her own for the first time (she was married the day after graduation), but she has to deal with working for a living, making ends meet financially AND she has to deal with her family, who she had been estranged from since she got married and ran off to New York.

9:00 - Tales From the Projection Room - This hit anthology-esque show is back for a second season. A fantasy show with a cinematic bent. Based (kinda) on Buster Keaton's Sherlock, Jr.,
this is a show about the aptly named Buster, a nebbishy movie theater
film projectionist, working in an old beat-up arthouse cinema where 35mm
classic and cult films are still played, who fantasizes about being in
old movies. Each episode includes tributes to, and reenactments of,
classic and cult films, all starring Buster himself, played by SNL alum
Bill Hader.

10:00 - The Bitch Squad - TV icons Roseanne Barr, Jean Smart, Christine Beranski, and Shelly Long,
star in this biting top ten rated comedy. Former high
school friends who grew apart after graduation, and have come back
together as they all turn sixty, realizing after all these years that
they can't stand each other. Think The Golden Girls meet Sex and the City and then turns into Desperate Housewives. The show was the second top rated comedy on TV this past season (only The Big Bang Theory beat it out) and is back in its Friday Night timeslot to kick more ass in season two.

Saturday Night

8:00 - Happy Happy - One of last season's surprise hit shows, this hour-long comedy is set in Catalina, and revolves around a pill-popping private investigator named Happy Happy. Yeah,
that's his name. The show stars David Duchovny as Happy, and features
Aisha Tyler as his ex-wife, Jeffrey Dean Morgan as his boat captain
buddy, and Sarah Paulson as Happy's regular femme fatale. Season two will see the addition of former Mad Men semi-regular, Bryan Batt, as a local restaurateur.

9:00 - The Twins [NEW SHOW] - Real life twins Giovanni and Marissa Ribisi, play fictional twins Hayden and Gloriana Westgrave. Hayden and Gloriana are telepathic and telekinetic, and share a bond forged centuries ago, when their family was cursed with a need to feed on human emotions like psychic vampires. A dark and twisted tale of murder and mayhem, with a pair of brilliantly nuanced performances by the Ribisi siblings.

10:00 - The Crooked Man - This show about a serial killer has been controversial from its very inception. Many tried to get it taken off the air last season (some even before it aired its first episode) but it never worked, and instead, here we are in season two. The titular Crooked Man (we are still not given an actual name), is played by
Crispin Glover, and he goes about his murder spree with a gleeful delight, and
no one is safe. There is torture and rape and other gruesome and nefarious acts. This is a dark show, possibly the darkest on
TV. It is also one of the most critically acclaimed shows on the network.

Midseason Shows

The Oscars - After its successful run this past Spring, this intriguing series about the behind-the-scenes antics during each season's Oscar race in Hollywood, will return for another 13 episode season in January. The show, with an almost entirely new cast from season one, will feature Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad), Michael Pitt (Boardwalk Empire), Kim Catrall (Sex & the City), Kristin Bauer van Straten (True Blood), and John Slattery (Mad Men).

Abraham - Abraham is a man who travels the world, thinking he is the messiah. The real question though, is who he really is? Is he a wanted criminal? Is he a spy? Is he a man with delusions? Is he the messiah? He may be none of these or he may be all of these. The show stars Luke Perry.

Celebrity Life With Charlie - This is a celebrity version of the hit series, Life with Charlie. It pits infamous jailbird, Charlie Manson against celebrities, in all kinds of silly fun and games. Some of the (big name) celebs involved in this second season will be Vanessa Hudgens, Axl Rose, Gary Valentine, Lou Dobbs, and Justin Beiber.

Johnny Damon's Beach House Adventure - This quirky comedy is part reality TV, part sit-com, and part WTF. Starring former MLB outfielder, Johnny Damon, as himself, the show revolves around the former player's crazy adventures with all his equally crazy friends. Guests will include the likes of former teammates Manny Ramirez, and Nick Swisher, Food Network star Guy Fieri, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, several Playboy Playmates (of course), Andy Dick, and former MTV veejay, Kennedy.

The Devil and Danny [NEW SHOW] - This classic multi-camera situation comedy was created by Dan Harmon of Community fame, and stars Community star, Danny Pudi, as a down-on-his-luck TV producer who makes a deal with the Devil in order to make his shows successful. Like Community, this new show has a very meta feel about it. The Devil will be played by Rob Riggle.

A Girl Like Maria [NEW SHOW] - Stand-up comic Maria Bamford writes, produces, and stars in this sitcom about a stand-up comic dealing with her dysfunctional family and her own bouts of depression and anxiety.

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That's it gang (for now). See ya 'round the web. Remember to check back to see how all these shows fare. All updates (weekly ratings, awards announcements, renewals and cancellations, schedule changes, and what have you) can be found on the NBS page on the Index page, under the TV section. Huzzah!

*editor's note: Yes, this is an alternate TV history thing. Please do not search the TV this Fall for any of these shows. Granted, they should be on the air, and if I had my druthers (and a couple billion dollars) they would be, but alas...well, you know the rest.